Packaging of coiled tubes



Jan. 30, 1962 R. L. WOHLFORTH PACKAGING OF COILED TUBES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 12, 1960 FIQI INVENTOR. mm WOHLFOWW Arramfnsz Jan. 30, 1962 R. WOHLFORTH 3,018,883

PACKAGING 0F COIL-ED TUBES Filed Feb. 12, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F l6 a INVENTOR.

04! PH WOHI. F6597?! 3,018,833 PACKAGING OF COILED TUBES Ralph L. Wohlforth, Red Bank, N.J., assignor to Phelps Dodge Copper Products Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 12, 1960, Ser. No. 8,265 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-59) This invention relates to cartons and more particularly to an improved carton for packaging a generally annularshaped article.

The carton of the present invention may be employed to advantage for packaging a length of tube in coiled form, such as a coil of copper tube of the type used as a water conduit. Accordingly, for the purpose of illustration, the invention will be described in connection with the packaging of coiled tubes, although it will be understood that the invention is applicable to the packaging of other articles of generally annular shape.

It is an object of this invention to provide a carton of the character described which is of simple construction and which can be readily assembled around the generally annular-shaped article to be packaged. A further object is to provide a carton of this character which facilitates transport and handling of the packaged article.

A carton made according to the invention comprises a pair of opposed sheet-like members, such as sheets of cardboard, each having a central opening and inner and outer peripheral portions. The inner peripheral portion of each member has cuts defining a series of inner tabs and also has fold lines forming a polygonal figure at the corners of which the cuts terminate. These inner tabs of each member are folded on the corresponding fold lines toward the opposing member and overlap the inner tabs thereof, and means are provided for securing each inner tab of each member in overlapping relation to a corresponding inner tab of the opposing member and with the inter-secured tabs extending in opposite directions from their respective sheet-like members, such securing means being preferably an adhesive applied to the tabs. The outer peripheral portion of each sheet-like member has cuts defining a series of otuer tabs and also has outer fold lines forming a generally circular figure at which these last cuts terminate. The outer tabs of each sheetlike member are folded on the respective outer fold lines toward the opposing member, and the outer periphery of the carton comprises a tape engaging the outer tabs of at least one of the sheet-like members, so as to hold the outer tabs in position to form a generally annular retaining wall surrounding the packaged article which, in turn, surrounds the polygonal closure formed by the inner tabs.

With this construction, the carton can be readily assembled around a coiled tube by placing the coil between the two opposed sheet-like members, folding the inner tabs and securing them as described, and applying the tape to the outer tabs after folding them to form the annular retaining wall. The resulting carton not only has an attractive appearance but also can be handled and transported easily. That is, the circular outer periphery of the carton allows it to be rolled smoothly along a floor, and by reason of the polygonal shape of the closure formed by the tabs at the inner periphery of the carton,

the latter may be easily gripped and held manually from within the central opening of the carton.

In the preferred construction of the new carton, the opposed sheet-like members are identical to each other; and each cut in the inner peripheral portion of each member. when the inner tabs of the member lie in the plane thereof, intersects a radius of the corresponding circular figure (formed by the fold lines at the outer peripheral portion of the member) and diverges from a States atent 3,fil8,883 Patented Jan. 30, 1962 ice next adjacent cut in extending from the central Opening, whereby folding of the inner tabs of each member into overlapping relation to the inner tabs of the other member is facilitated. Also, the cuts defining the outer tabs of each sheet-like member extend radially with respect to the corresponding circular figure formed by the outer fold lines of the member and are spaced considerably closer to the adjacent cuts than are the cuts in the inner peripheral portion of the member. Thus, the fold line for each outer tab is relatively short so that the fold lines for the outer tabs can form substantially circular figures on the respective sheet-like members. The outer tabs are also preferably shorter than the inner tabs, whereby the folded outer tabs of each member terminate short of overlapping relation to the folded outer tabs of the opposing member. The tape may thus be secured by an adhesive to the folded outer tabs of both members.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred form of the new carton. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one of the two sheet-like members, showing the inner an douter tabs before they are folded toward the opposing member;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of part of the sheet-like member illustrated in FIG. 1 but showing the opposite side of the member;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the two sheet-like members arranged in opposed relation prior to folding of their respective tabs, parts of the upper member being broken aw-av to show parts of the lower member;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the completed carton, part of the upper sheet-like member being broken away to show the packaged article; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5-5 in FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings, the carton there shown comprises two sheet-like members 10 and 10a (FIGS. 35). As these two members are identical to each other, only the member 10 will be described specifically by reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet-like member 10 is a generally annular sheet of a foldable form-retaining material, such as multi-ply cardboard stock, having a central opening 11. The sheet 10 has a substantially circular outer periphery and a polygonal inner periphery which defines the opening 11. At its inner peripheral portion, the sheet has cuts 12 defining a series of inner tabs 13 and also has scoring or fold lines 14 forming a polygonal figure at the corners of which the cuts 12 terminate.

At its outer peripheral portion, the sheet-like member 10 has cuts 16 extending radially inward from the circular periphery and defining a series of outer tabs 17. The outer peripheral portion also has scoring or outer fold lines 18 from-ing a substantially circular figure at which the cuts 16 terminate. The spacing between adjacent outer cuts 16 is considerably less than the spacing between adjacent inner cuts 12, thereby providing a relatively short fold line 18 for each of the outer tabs 17. The outer radial cuts 16 are somewhat V-shaped to facilitate folding the tabs 17 when assembling the carton, as will be described in detail presently.

The cuts 12 in the inner peripheral portion of the member 10 do not extend radially, but each of these cuts inter-- sects a radius of the corresponding circularfigure 18 formed by the outer fold lines for the tabs 17. Also,

each inner cut 12 diverges from a next adjacent'cut 12' in extending from the central opening 11, and each tab. 13 has an edge overlapping an edge ofone adjacent tab and has an opposite edge overlapped by an edge of the other adiacen tab. i

In assembling the carton, the two sheet members Ill-10a are placed in opposing relation with the outer cuts 16 of one sheet in registry with corresponding outer cuts 16a of the other sheet, as shown in FIG. 3. (The parts of the sheet a are given the same reference numerals as the corresponding parts of the sheet 10 but with the subscript a.) The article to be packaged, in this case the coiled tube C shown in FIGS. 4-5, is placed between the two sheets before they are arranged as shown in FIG. 3, so that the assembly operations now to be described will form the carton around the article. Each inner tab 13-13a of each sheet 10-10a is folded along its corresponding fold line 14 or 14a toward the other sheet and into overlapping relation to the corresponding opposed inner tab of such other sheet, as best shown in FIG. 5. As there shown, the inner tabs 13 of the sheet member 10 are first folded inwardly toward the opposed sheet member 10a, and then the inner tabs 13a of the latter sheet are folded inwardly toward the opposed sheet 10, so that the tabs 13a border upon the central opening 11 formed by the thus assembled sheets. As will be apparent from FIG. 5, the tabs 13-1311 are each of a length approximating the outside diameter of the coiled tube C to be packaged (the tube being wound in a flat coil), so that the inner tabs 13 terminate at or closely adjacent the inner surface of the opposing sheet member 10a. The outer surfaces of the tabs 13 and the inner surfaces of the tabs 13a are provided with an adhesive P which serves, when the folded inner tabs of one sheet are pressed against the corresponding folded tabs of the other sheet, to secure each inner tab of each sheet in overlapping relation to a corresponding inner tab of the opposing sheet. Accordingly, theadhesive or securing means P functions to secure the opposed sheet members 1010a to each other through their respective inner tabs 13-1311, these inter-secured tabs extending in opposite directions from their respective sheet members. In this way, the inner tabs Iii-13a form a double-walled closure at the inner peripheral portion of the annular space between the opposed sheets 10-10a, the closure formed by tabs 1313a having a polygonal configuration and being surrounded by the coiled tube C (FIG. 4).

The outer tabs 17-1711 of each sheet member 10-10a are folded along their corresponding fold line 18 or 18a toward the opposing sheet member. However, these outer tabs are considerably shorter (in radial dimension) than the inner tabs 1313a so that the outer tabs of each sheet member, when thus folded, terminate short of overlapping relation to the outer tabs of the opposing sheet member, as best shown in FIG. 5. To complete the carton, a tape 20 is extended completely around the outer periphery of the assembled sheet members 1010a and secured to the outer surfaces of the folded outer tabs 1717a. The tape 20, as shown, is apaper strip having an adhesive (not shown) on the side of the tape engaging the outer tabs 1717a,-so that the tape is secured to these tabs. Thus, the tape 20 and the outer tabs l717a form at the outer peripheral portion of the carton a substantially circular double-walled closure for the annular space between the opposed sheet members 1010i1, this circular outer closure surrounding the coiled tube C.

'It will be understood that the aforementioned tabfolding operations, as well as the steps of pressing the overlapping inner tabs 13-1311 together to secure them by the adhesive P, and winding the adhesive tape 20 tightly around the outer periphery formed by the folded tabs 17-17a, may be performed readily by suitable machinery or may be performed manually. In either case, the configurations of the tabs 13-13a and 1717a are such that the tabs can be readily folded to their final positions without interfering with each other. The tape 20, as shown, is of a width equal to the distance between the outer surfaces of the main portions of the opposed sheet members 10 10a when these portions engage the opposite surfaces of the Hat coil C, so that the opposite edges of the tape are flush with these surfaces, respectively, of the sheet members. In other words, the width of the tape 20 is approximately equal to the outer diameter of the coiled tube C plus twice the thickness of the sheet material from which the members 1tl-10a are made.

The resulting carton has an attractive appearance and forms a durable and secure package for the coil C, which will normally occupy most of the annular space within the carton so that the inner and outer turns of the coil will be at or near the closures formed by the inner tabs 13-4311 and the outer tabs 1717a, respectively. By virtue of the polygonal shape of the central opening 11 extending through the carton, manual handling of the carton is facilitated; and by virtue of its substantially circular outer periphery, the carton may be easily transported by rolling it on edge. The coil C can be easily removed from the carton when desired, as by breaking the overlapping inner tabs 13-13a away from each other, and tearing one of the sheets 10 or 10a outwardly from the thus broken portion, or by slitting the peripheral tape 20 along the median line between the ends of the opposed outer tabs 17-17a and tearing one of the sheets 10 or 10a inwardly from the thus slit portion, so as to detach the sheet members from each other sufiiciently to enable removal of the coil.

As will be observed from FIGS. 3 and 4, the provision of the circular outer periphery and the contrasting straightsided polygonal inner periphery of the carton requires that the number of outer tabs 17 of each member 1010a be a multiple of the number of inner tabs 13 (48 to 8 as illustrated) and that the outer tabs have substantially shorter fold lines than the inner tabs (less than half the lengh as illustrated).

I claim:

1. A carton for packaging an annular-shaped article, such as a coil of tubing, which comprises a pair of opposed and substantially identical sheet-like members each having a central opening and inner and outer peripheral portions, the inner peripheral portion of each member having cuts defining a series of inner tabs and also having straight fold lines forming a polygonal figure at the corners of which said cuts terminate, the tabs of each member being folded on said lines toward the opposing member and overlapping the tabs thereof, means securing each tab of each member in overlapping relation to a corresponding tab of the opposing member and with said inter-secured tabs extending in opposite directions from their respective members, said inter-secured inner tabs defining an open space forming a polygonal center opening through the carton, the outer peripheral portion of each member having cuts defining a series of outer tabs and also having outer fold lines forming a generally circular figure at which said last cuts terminate, each member having a smooth annular surface extending continuously around said polygonal figure and extending radially outward from said polygonal figure to said circular figure, the outer tabs 'of each member being folded on said outer lines toward the opposing member, and a tape engaging said outer tabs of at least one of said members and forming the outer periphery of the carton, the number of said outer tabs being a multiple of the number of said inner tabs, and said outer tabs having substantially shorter fold lines than said inner tabs, to provide said generally circular figure and said straight-sided polygonal figure.

2. A carton according to claim 1, in which said cuts in the outer peripheral portion of each member extend radially with respect tothe corresponding circular figure when the outer tabs of said member lie in the plane of said member.

3. A carton according to claim 1, in which each cut in the inner peripheral portion of each member, when the inner tabs of said member lie in the plane thereof, intersects a radius of the corresponding circular figure and diverges from a next adjacent cut in extending from the central opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Schweich Apr. 6, 1954 Wilke Aug. 5, 1958 

